Human Rights Across Contexts and Shared Understandings

In conjunction with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Festival, the International Human Rights Desk, in partnership with the Centre for Transitional Justice at the University of Ulster, presents a panel discussion that explores how struggles for human rights in Pakistan, Northern Ireland, and beyond, though shaped by different contexts, often reflect shared patterns—state hostility, deep-rooted prejudice, and the emotional weight of long-term activism.

Drawing on James Baldwin’s reflection that no pain is truly unprecedented, it considers how communities under pressure assert dignity, resist erasure, and build resilience. Rather than comparing suffering, the discussion focuses on the common principles that unite these efforts and asks how a more humane and honest approach to advocacy can be shaped by these insights.